Chapter 199: Tic-tac-toe General

Regarding Piao Sanlang's magic tools, if we speak only of the craftsmanship, they can indeed be called masterpieces, but if we discuss the actual effects of the magic tools, they can only be described as somewhat subtle.

According to Piao Sanlang himself, he does not like making mass-produced magic tools that ordinary magic tool artisans could also produce.

"If we're going to make them, let's make some more powerful or special boutique magic tools!"

Broly doesn't know if the magic tools are boutique or not, but his family's poverty is probably related to this Family Head who insists on making 'boutique' magic tools.

"Applying some extremely cost-intensive detail magic patterns to realize aspects that have no practical effect — for products like yours, it's hard for us to give an excessively high purchase price."

The magic tools had basically been examined, yet it entered the haggling phase; Darkness had a talent in this regard, replacing Wiz who previously would directly pay out money to purchase any magic tools he fancied, and she haggled with Piao Sanlang and his wife across from them.

Broly was not interested in the Broker's haggling phase; carrying a lantern bearing the 【Concentrate Light】 magic inscription, he ran to the courtyard (actually just the fenced area outside the wooden house made of branches) and started playing a game of Tic-tac-toe with Xiaomi.

"Each turn, write one of your own symbols in a grid; it can be O, or X, or another symbol, and the first person to connect three symbols in a line counts as achieving victory."

Broly drew a tic-tac-toe grid on the ground with a branch and explained the game rules to Xiaomi.

And this game was something he learned from the children playing in the streets and alleys of Axel.

It was probably something left behind by some Reincarnator who came to this world before.

It's just that after learning it, Broly rarely had the opportunity to play with others.

After he beat down a street brat who wanted to renege and resort to violence after losing a game, along with the brat's parents, and discovered that some children's gazes looking at him now contained some inexplicable fear...

"Oh, Xiaomi understands!"

Xiaomi nodded, somewhat excited; there were no children her age in the village, so she had never had playmates before, and never had the chance to play this kind of two-person mini-game.

"How childish~"

Host watched the two little ghosts drawing OOXX on the ground with branches from the side.

Half an hour later, within the OOXX silhouettes under the sunset's afterglow, a demon appeared.

"Damn it, how did this grandpa lose again, this game is so hard!"

"Host, you're an idiot, my turn, my turn!"

Like an invincible Tic-tac-toe General, Broly welcomed the continuous challenges from the small girl and her familiar.

Night fell; Huihui returned home clutching her belly. Today she was invited to the soft-and-fluffy Home to celebrate her younger brother's birthday, but at that siscon guy's house, she ate cake until she was very full.

Being full, for their family, is a rare occurrence; thinking that tonight she could give her own portion of rice to her younger sister to eat, Huihui's steps unconsciously became a bit lighter.

"Xiaomi, I'm back, look at what big sister brought for you!"

As soon as she approached the front door, Huihui shouted while holding up a box containing a small piece of cake.

"Eh, it's big sister returning!"

Hearing the sound, Xiaomi snapped back from arguing with Host over 【who gets to have a Tic-tac-toe showdown with Broly】.

Remembering that she was treated to a meal outside this evening and incidentally had the leftovers packed to take home, Xiaomi couldn't wait to go tell her big sister this good news.

"Host, quickly take me to welcome big sister."

"Huh, can't you go welcome her yourself?"

Host originally wanted to sneak away, but was stopped by Xiaomi's call, and could only grab the girl in his hand and walk toward the house's main gate.

"Big sister, I'm over here!"

The house door wasn't opened by the cute younger sister; instead, the younger sister's voice came from the side.

"Are you playing in the courtyard?"

As Huihui said this, she turned from the main gate to the side of the wooden house, and witnessed the scene of her own younger sister being carried over, held in the hand of a tall demon.

"Slap~" The cake box in her hand fell to the ground; Huihui's whole person didn't feel too good.

"You demon over there, quickly let go of my younger sister!"

Encountering this kind of situation, Huihui did not flee; instead, she rapidly came to the fence side, pulled up the branch stuck in the ground, held it in her hand aimed at the approaching Host, and struck a threatening posture as she roared at the demon.

This is the survival law in the forest: when encountering a fierce beast, absolutely do not turn and run, but rather grab any weapon that might be nearby, and face off against the fierce beast.

Oh, shit, this trick might work on fierce beasts, but does it still work on demons? The demon holding her younger sister, one look and it's not ordinary goods; if her younger sister weren't in the opponent's hands, Huihui guarantees that at the first sight of that demon, she would have turned and fled.

Holding the wooden stick aimed in the demon's direction, Huihui could discover the wooden stick standing before her, trembling non-stop.

【Don't be afraid, it's merely a mere demon; you are someone who will become a Great Mage wielding the strongest Explosion Magic in the future...】

Huihui desperately suppressed the fear in her heart, yet was boosting her own morale through self-encouragement.

【Besides, Dad and Mom should be returning home around this time; as long as Dad and Mom return, dealing with a mere demon is absolutely no problem.】

Although they are the Red Demon Clan, before learning magic, Huihui was also no different from ordinary girls of the same age.

Just as Huihui mustered her courage to face her fear head-on, Host directly put down the Xiaomi in his hand.

"Hey, you guy, don't misunderstand; this is your younger sister asking me to bring her over."

Explaining thus, Host even raised his hand, indicating his harmlessness.

"Ah, my poor younger sister, you've been bewitched by the demon, wanting to help the demon use yourself as bait to capture big sister?"

Huihui cautiously watched the younger sister running over, and spoke these words.

"Big sister, what nonsense are you spouting? Host is my familiar."

"Hah, you think I'd believe your ghost talk?"

This sentence, Huihui said to Host.

"My younger sister is only five years old; even I don't have a familiar, let alone her at only five years old, being able to have such a large, such a handsome demon as a familiar."

"Ah, this, many thanks for the praise, but what your younger sister said is true."

Host scratched his face somewhat embarrassedly.

【Hmph, ignorant demon, this is my Huihui's scheme, using some praising words to hoodwink you, thereby achieving a delay of time...】

"Eh, big sister, didn't you say Xiaohei is your half-body familiar?"

Xiaomi asked curiously.

"Idiot, that was just an excuse I made up to get Xiaohei into the Academy so I could mooch lunch off the others!"

"Whatever, Xiaomi, if you don't need me for anything, I'm heading back."

"You play first, but next turn's mine."

They've been playing Tic-tac-toe since just now, and the board has already been Expanded, but due to proficiency and player IQ reasons, neither Xiaomi nor Houste has ever beaten Broly.

Dialogue finished, Houste walked off to the Backyard on his own, and only after the Demon left did Huihui barely relax on This Side, looking at her Younger Sister with a somewhat strange gaze and asking: "Xiaomi, what exactly is going on?"

"What do you mean what's going on?"

"That Demon..."

"I told you, He is Xiaomi's Familiar!"

"But when I left this morning, Xiaomi you didn't seem to have a Familiar, right?"

"Houste became Xiaomi's Familiar around Noon."

(Chapter End)